Label Planet’s Checklist For Choosing Self Adhesive Labels

Our checklist for choosing self adhesive labels includes key things to keep in mind when selecting suitable stickers.

You don’t need to use all of these factors to choose the right self adhesive labels for your application. Nor do you have to follow this exact order when picking your perfect stickers. Instead, take a look through the list and see which factors apply to your situation. You can then place them in an order based on how important they are to your label application.

Do You Need To Print Or Handwrite Your Self Adhesive Labels (Or Will They Be Left Blank)?

If you intend to leave your sticky labels blank (for example, to use them as seals on documents or packaging), you can select ANY of the our products. The same applies if you’d prefer to handwrite your sticky labels. Paper labels are the easiest to handwrite. Gloss labels and synthetic (plastic) labels may require the use of more specialised pens (compared to a simple biro).

Most of our customers want to print their own sticky labels. Our self adhesive labels are designed for desktop printers. Some can only be printed with a laser printer or only with an inkjet printer. You can find printer compatibility for all of our products on our website and packaging.

Do You Need A Particular Label Size Or Shape For Your Self Adhesive Labels?

You may need self adhesive labels to fit onto items or into a space that requires the use of a particular label size and/or shape. At Label Planet, we supply rectangular labels (with round or square cut corners), round labels / circular labels, oval labels, square labels, media labels, and CD labels / DVD labels. We also supply a range of more than 100 label sizes.

Self adhesive labels supplied on A4 sheets tend to be available in “standard” label sizes. These sizes are created by splitting an A4 sheet into (usually) equally sized label shapes with as little waste around and between the blank labels. You can view all of our label sizes using our Label Finder.

Do You Need Your Self Adhesive Labels To Stay Stuck Permanently Or Temporarily?

We supply a variety of adhesives, which means there are two questions that you need to answer.

First, you need to decide if you want permanent labels or removable labels.

Removable labels are designed to remove cleanly without leaving behind adhesive residue. If you need removable labels, your next question is: are you labelling delicate items, reusable containers, or something else.

• Label delicate items (e.g. those made of paper or glass) using our super removable adhesive.
• For reusable containers (e.g. to label foodstuffs), we recommend our water wash off adhesive. This permanent adhesive breaks down in water, so you can remove your sticky labels by washing your items.
• For any other items, use any of our sticky labels with a removable adhesive.

Permanent labels are designed to stay in place permanently and to be difficult to remove. We offer options for:

• Super/high tack adhesives; designed for applications where your sticky labels have to stay in place OR for more unsual surfaces/materials (e.g. fabrics, plastics, building materials etc).
• Freezer adhesive; designed for labelling items that are to be stored and/or used in deep freeze conditions, such as food stuffs or medical/research samples and equipment.
• Marine adhesive; designed for outdoor applications. Also suitable for general applications that require tough, durable, and long-lasting tracking labels.
• Water wash off adhesive; creates a permanent adhesive bond that breaks down when exposed to water.
• Opaque adhesive; designed for applications where you need to cover up existing print (usually because it is wrong or out of date).
• Security adhesives; designed to provide visual evidence of tampering.
• Standard permanent adhesives; create good adhesive bonds with a range of surfaces.

Do You Need Self Adhesive Labels That Are Waterproof / Transparent?

If you need to use waterproof labels or transparent labels, you will need to choose from our range of synthetic materials. You can then choose between laser labels or inkjet labels, permanent labels or removable labels, and gloss labels or matt labels.

NB: if you want to print waterproof labels, you will generally need to use a laser printer. Standard inkjet inks are water-based and so run or smudge when wet. Laser printers use heat and pressure to bond a dry powder (toner) into place creating waterproof print. The one exception is our MWPP material, which uses a special top coating to seal inkjet print in place to create waterproof inkjet labels.

We also have two laser paper labels, which we call “splashproof”. Paper labels will be damaged by water because they are made using paper. Our GW and SG paper labels have top coatings that provide limited protection against water, which means they can be wiped clean and dry if lightly splashed with water.

Do You Want To Use Coloured Labels Or A Particular Finish On Your Self Adhesive Labels?

Our range of coloured labels includes pastel coloured labels, fluorescent labels, gold labels and silver labels, and brown ribbed Kraft paper labels.

You can also choose between gloss labels or matt labels. Gloss labels have a bright and shiny finish that is perfect for adding a subtle decorative touch. Our gloss range includes various “full” gloss labels as well as our semi-gloss labels.

Do You Have A Particular Budget For Your Self Adhesive Labels?

For some people, a defining factor in their final decision is their budget. Standard paper labels will always be the most budget friendly option. Any special characteristics (e.g. colour, transparency/opacity, gloss coatings, special adhesives etc) will push the prices up.

At Label Planet, we use a price break system, which creates a better price per unit for larger quantities.

You also need to bear in mind that we cannot stock all of the material and adhesive combinations that we supply. Stocked items come in 25 sheet packs or 500 sheet boxes. Non-stocked items are made to order and come in 500 sheet boxes. Made to order options, therefore, tend to be more expensive. Sometimes it is worth being flexible with your label size, material, or adhesive to find a suitable stocked option that can do the job in hand without wrecking your budget.

How To Find Your Selected Self Adhesive Labels & Place An Order With Label Planet

There are a variety of search tools on the Label Planet website to help you find the perfect self adhesive labels.

• Product Search Bar: use this to search for a specific Label Planet product code. All of our codes begin with an LP – so you know they’re from us!
• Alphabetical List: this list includes links to our range pages and our most popular search by pages.
• Label Finder: enter the specifications that you need your self adhesive labels to meet and the Finder returns a list of Label Planet products that fit your requirements.
• Our Customer Service Team: you can also get in touch with us for help and advice choosing the correct self adhesive labels for whatever project you’ve got in mind. You can send us an email or give us a call during office hours (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).

Head on over to www.labelplanet.co.uk to get started in your search for suitable stickers. Remember that you can also use our Sample Request Service to try your self adhesive labels before you buy – to make sure that you really have picked the perfect sticky labels.